Lessons from (patho)physiological tissue stiffness and their implications for drug screening, drug delivery and regenerative medicine

Diseased tissues are noted for their compromised mechanical properties, which contribute to organ failure; regeneration entails restoration of tissue structure and thereby functions. Thus, the physical signature of a tissue is closely associated with its biological function. In this review, we consi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced drug delivery reviews 2011-04, Vol.63 (4), p.269-276
Main Authors: Chen, Wen Li Kelly, Simmons, Craig A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biocompatible Materials - chemistry
Biomaterials
Biomechanics
Cancer biology
Cell Culture Techniques
Drug Delivery Systems
Elasticity
Extracellular Matrix - metabolism
High-Throughput Screening Assays - methods
Humans
Mechanobiology
Regenerative Medicine - methods
Stem cells
Stem Cells - metabolism
Substrate stiffness
Tissue Engineering - methods
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Summary:Diseased tissues are noted for their compromised mechanical properties, which contribute to organ failure; regeneration entails restoration of tissue structure and thereby functions. Thus, the physical signature of a tissue is closely associated with its biological function. In this review, we consider a mechanics-centric view of disease and regeneration by drawing parallels between in vivo tissue-level observations and corroborative cellular evidence in vitro to demonstrate the importance of the mechanical stiffness of the extracellular matrix in these processes. This is not intended to devalue the importance of biochemical signaling; in fact, as we discuss, many mechanical stiffness-driven processes not only require cooperation with biochemical cues, but they ultimately converge at common signaling cascades to influence cell and tissue function in an integrative manner. The study of how physical and biochemical signals collectively modulate cell function not only brings forth a more holistic understanding of cell (patho)biology, but it also creates opportunities to control material properties to improve culture platforms for research and drug screening and aid in the rationale design of biomaterials for molecular therapy and tissue engineering applications. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0169-409X
1872-8294
DOI:10.1016/j.addr.2011.01.004